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REVIEW: Citrus GN 1


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KENZICHI



Joined: 16 Oct 2010
Posts: 1106
PostPosted: Sun Jan 25, 2015 12:10 pm Reply with quote
I'm reading this manga right now and it is pretty good. Always seeing Mei's face in pain is probably the reason why Yuzu couldn't give up on her even after all the mean things she's said to her.

One thing that bothered me is when Yuzu realized spoiler[ that she was in 'love' with Mei even though she barely knew her. Liking her or having a crush on her would have been a more appropriate choice of words, but since she said love it sort of turned off my feelings for the two's relationship. ]

I still think it's a good manga, but I'm unsure if I want to continue honestly, but I guess I'll see once I actually finish reading the first volume.
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CatSword



Joined: 01 Jul 2014
Posts: 1489
PostPosted: Sun Jan 25, 2015 12:42 pm Reply with quote
I was surprised to see this on the NYT bestsellers list; for selling such racy manga (their variety of yuri, Monster Musume, Strike Witches, etc), Seven Seas gets surprisingly high sales.

Almost bought this at Barnes and Noble the other day in fact...but then pondered the front cover and the fact that my grandfather was with me and decided I wasn't completely braindead yet.
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John Hayabusa



Joined: 30 May 2012
Posts: 1270
PostPosted: Sun Jan 25, 2015 2:30 pm Reply with quote
This is the yuri manga than I am want to read more. I love its art, especially the characters' eyes. It is shoujo-ish at the right amount.

Yuzu and Mei are pretty likable for me. Their sharp contrast to each other makes their messy relationship interesting. They are like the characters that you would expect from a harem anime/manga: Yuzu is the average harem guy who keeps distancing herself from sexual advances of Mei. Though unlike many harem works, this is played for drama, and unlike many harem guys, Yuzu's constant denial is understandable. She knows that Mei's advances are just to take out her frustration, she is not doing them for love.

The drama is kind of cliche in my opinion. Then again, it is what keeps the story going and suspenseful. Some of the girls who like to start trouble between the girls spoiler[like Himeko, Matsuri, and Sara] may give you a bad impression of them at first but once you give them a chance, you will understand their situation and may even like them.

Overall, this is a great manga that you will want to read and understand more. The two things that I love about Citrus is the art and the girls. I am looking forward to read the next chapter.
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mgosdin



Joined: 17 Jul 2011
Posts: 1302
Location: Kissimmee, Florida, USA
PostPosted: Sun Jan 25, 2015 3:47 pm Reply with quote
I wasn't surprised that our local Books-A-Million got Citrus in, after all they've stocked every other Seven Seas yuri title, but I was surprised to see them have 5 copies on the shelf. They've been slowly disappearing after I bought mine, so it is selling here in Florida.

I had hoped to see Citrus, which I'd sampled on-line, get a full english release so I was more than happy to hand BAM & Seven Seas my money. Very Happy

Mark Gosdin
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here-and-faraway



Joined: 21 Jun 2007
Posts: 1528
Location: Sunny California
PostPosted: Sun Jan 25, 2015 5:23 pm Reply with quote
I didn't hate Citrus, but you can make a drinking game out of how many times one girl pushes another girl onto a bed/the ground/etc. It wasn't offensive, but rather got really old, really fast, kind of like a girl repeatedly punching a protagonist. Can't the manga-ka think of something else to do with the two girls to move the story along?

Yuzu started out as an interesting character, but I have the feeling that the story is going to get very stale, very quickly in volume 2.
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ElectricDork



Joined: 08 Apr 2010
Posts: 73
PostPosted: Sun Jan 25, 2015 6:16 pm Reply with quote
I was drawn to Citrus by the art by that delicious cover art, but the actual content is disappointing. Right from the off we've got bad soap opera melodrama with Yuzu catching Mei being kissed by the teacher and then overhearing his telephone conversation (because that's the exactly the kind of thing he'd be talking about where other people could hear him). That and the interaction between Mei and Yuzu all came across as forced and unnatural ways to create drama.

Reading this made me long for the low-key, slow burn approach of Girlfriends. Compared to Citrus it's a masterpiece.
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Red Fox of Fire



Joined: 24 Jan 2010
Posts: 345
PostPosted: Sun Jan 25, 2015 8:09 pm Reply with quote
I had that same feeling when reading that some events seemed to feel better in hindsight.

I really love what I've read of Citrus so far and can't wait for more volumes.
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zensunni



Joined: 05 Mar 2010
Posts: 1294
PostPosted: Sun Jan 25, 2015 8:13 pm Reply with quote
KENZICHI wrote:
One thing that bothered me is when Yuzu realized spoiler[ that she was in 'love' with Mei even though she barely knew her. Liking her or having a crush on her would have been a more appropriate choice of words, but since she said love it sort of turned off my feelings for the two's relationship. ]

Well, spoiler[whenever someone questions a quick declaration of love, I presume that person doesn't believe in or has never experienced, the phenomenon known as "love at first sight." I know there are many people who don't believe in it and, as a person who is generally non-superstitious and tries to look at the world from a scientific perspective, I would have my own doubts about the concept if I had never experienced it. Of course, I grew up hearing the story from my mother about how she knew that she would marry my father the moment they met on a blind date, and then, years and years ago, I met a girl at a party in college and fell hard and fast. Over 29 years later we are still married. In short, it does happen.]

I really love the character of Yuzu. She is a girl who always tries to see the good in others, yet is capable of perceiving the bad as well. She is sweet and naive, yet tries to present herself as more worldly and experienced and manages to pull it off, at least early on in the story. She is a rebel but, at the same time, a caring "good girl."

Mei is an enigma and a wonderful one at that. As each layer of her damaged psyche is pealed back, we get closer and closer to her core. For those that like her ice princess style and don't want to see her soften and warm up... spoiler[Don't worry, she will close up and turn the ice back on several times. These two just can't seem to get in sync, for some reason.]

I have the next two volumes on order already and can't wait for them to be released!
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Fronzel



Joined: 11 Sep 2003
Posts: 1906
PostPosted: Sun Jan 25, 2015 9:02 pm Reply with quote
zensunni wrote:
I really love the character of Yuzu. She is a girl who always tries to see the good in others, yet is capable of perceiving the bad as well. She is sweet and naive, yet tries to present herself as more worldly and experienced and manages to pull it off, at least early on in the story. She is a rebel but, at the same time, a caring "good girl."

Sounds like many female leads.
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meepsheeps



Joined: 16 Jun 2014
Posts: 399
PostPosted: Sun Jan 25, 2015 11:04 pm Reply with quote
This series is like the Junjou Romantica of yuri. But hey, the art is pretty good.
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SquadmemberRitsu



Joined: 26 Jan 2012
Posts: 1391
PostPosted: Mon Jan 26, 2015 1:05 am Reply with quote
I really wish yuri had more presence in the anime fandom where I'm from. Every convention I go to there's yaoi as far the eye can see from doujins to fanart and even a decent amount of officially lisenced manga. Yuri on the other hand has almost no presence. Even furries get a decent showing so I don't even understand why that is. Maybe it's different in the US but here in Australia there's nothing.

That being said, I'm glad Seven Seas is translating stuff like this. Even though I partially agree with the above statement about it being pretty much the 'Junjou Romantica of yuri', it's far better than nothing. At the very least, the art is a lot nicer than Junjou.
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leafy sea dragon



Joined: 27 Oct 2009
Posts: 7163
Location: Another Kingdom
PostPosted: Mon Jan 26, 2015 5:24 am Reply with quote
zensunni wrote:
Well, spoiler[whenever someone questions a quick declaration of love, I presume that person doesn't believe in or has never experienced, the phenomenon known as "love at first sight." I know there are many people who don't believe in it and, as a person who is generally non-superstitious and tries to look at the world from a scientific perspective, I would have my own doubts about the concept if I had never experienced it. Of course, I grew up hearing the story from my mother about how she knew that she would marry my father the moment they met on a blind date, and then, years and years ago, I met a girl at a party in college and fell hard and fast. Over 29 years later we are still married. In short, it does happen.]


I believe such a thought process exists, but I personally believe such an act is foolishly impulsive. Then again, I am also the sort of person to weigh everything carefully when making a decision. That being said, you can still get lucky, as seems to be the case for you.

And I'm pretty sure I am not the only one who thinks in this way. As a result, I find myself having a hard time relating to a character with such a thought process as a major event in their lives because I associate such behavior with ditsiness and recklessness.

I hope you don't take offense to what I say, as I don't think any less of someone who follows such a path in life, just that I wish them luck.
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jojothepunisher



Joined: 04 Sep 2007
Posts: 799
PostPosted: Mon Jan 26, 2015 11:25 am Reply with quote
The only thing that got me started on this series was that beautiful and erotic cover art. That, the author did a good job in.
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zensunni



Joined: 05 Mar 2010
Posts: 1294
PostPosted: Mon Jan 26, 2015 1:48 pm Reply with quote
Fronzel wrote:
zensunni wrote:
I really love the character of Yuzu. She is a girl who always tries to see the good in others, yet is capable of perceiving the bad as well. She is sweet and naive, yet tries to present herself as more worldly and experienced and manages to pull it off, at least early on in the story. She is a rebel but, at the same time, a caring "good girl."

Sounds like many female leads.

Yes, it is what many female leads try to be, but in Yuzu's case, it actually works. Her 'cover' as a trendy, experienced, rebellious girl is believable and is actually believed by the majority of the other characters. It is really only the reader, who can see inside her head, and possibly Mei (but I'm not sure yet) and the best friend character that see the real naive girl under the facade. (There is another character later too, but she is ... I won't get into her... spoilers...)

I guess what I'm trying to say is that this type of character rarely works for me. The author almost never gets the combo right so it isn't totally unbelievable that people buy her act. In Citrus, it works. spoiler[Another one that worked in that sense is Futaba in Ao Haru Ride, where her persona that she puts on at the beginning of the manga works so well she has trouble shedding it and, in a sense, has really become the persona to a certain extent.]
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darkchibi07



Joined: 15 Oct 2003
Posts: 5471
PostPosted: Mon Jan 26, 2015 3:39 pm Reply with quote
SquadmemberRitsu wrote:


That being said, I'm glad Seven Seas is translating stuff like this. Even though I partially agree with the above statement about it being pretty much the 'Junjou Romantica of yuri', it's far better than nothing. At the very least, the art is a lot nicer than Junjou.


Hmm, could be considered a good thing? Granted, at least this manga doesn't hold anything back unlike that other one that's seemingly popular on Yuri Hime.
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